Impact of nutritional status on the oral bioavailability of leucine administered to rats as part of a standard enteral diet.

Summary Background To investigate the absorption and relative bioavailability of leucine administered orally as part of an enteral diet in well and malnourished animals. Methods Two groups – RN (regular nutrition) and PCR (protein-calorie restricted) – were fed with different diets for 23–25 days. Rats from each group were assigned randomly to one of three treatments (water, T-Diet Plus Standard ® (problem) or Isosource ST ® (reference)) administered in single ( N  = 76) or multiple ( N  = 39) doses. Blood samples were assayed for leucine content. Area under the curve (AUC) was calculated by non-compartmental analysis. Log-transformed AUC(s) were statistically compared by analysis of varian…